Search Lawrence County Court Records
Start with Indiana MyCase, the public case-search route linked by the Indiana Judicial Branch and Lawrence County court pages. MyCase covers public, non-confidential cases across Indiana courts, including Lawrence Circuit Court and Lawrence Superior Courts when the case is available online. It is useful for party-name searches, case-number searches, docket events, hearings, charge rows, bonds, dispositions, and document links where public access rules allow online documents.
MyCase is a search and viewing tool, not the certified court record. The official Indiana help pages warn that online information may have errors or omissions and that official records come from the court that maintains the file. In Lawrence County, that usually means the County Clerk in Room 31 for copies, filings, marriage licenses, payments, and public counter help. Court staff can answer clerical questions, but they cannot give legal advice or fill out forms.
- Open MyCase or the Indiana Judicial Branch Lawrence County page and choose the public case-search link.
- Search by party name, case number, or available court and location filters.
- Narrow to Lawrence County or the relevant Lawrence court when the portal offers that filter.
- Open the result and review the case style, court, file date, events, hearings, charges, bonds, and documents.
- Contact the Lawrence County Clerk for certified copies, missing online documents, older files, or official verification.
The Lawrence County official homepage shows the county government's court and department access points, including the courthouse setting used for local record work.
That county homepage is the local starting point when a record search needs an office page rather than only a statewide portal.
Lawrence County Court System
Indiana does not use county-level district courts for Lawrence County. The local courts of record are Lawrence Circuit Court, Lawrence Superior Court I, and Lawrence Superior Court II. The Indiana Judicial Branch describes Indiana trial courts as circuit courts, superior courts, and city or town courts where created by local law. Lawrence County's official Justice directory lists the clerk, Circuit Court, Superior Court I, Superior Court II, prosecutor, public defender, sheriff, probation, and traffic information in one local justice group.
Case flow: Lawrence Circuit and Superior Courts › Indiana Court of Appeals › Indiana Supreme Court in limited cases.
| Court or Office | Location | Record Role |
|---|---|---|
| Lawrence Circuit Court | 916 15th Street, Bedford | Trial-court cases, estate and guardianship forms, court calendar, public notices. |
| Lawrence Superior Court I | 918 16th Street, Suite 300, Bedford | Trial-court matters before Presiding Judge John M. Plummer III. |
| Lawrence Superior Court II | 918 16th Street, Number 400, Bedford | Trial-court matters, small claims, evictions, and traffic phone contact. |
| Lawrence County Clerk | 916 15th Street, Room 31, Bedford | New filings, copies, payments, marriage licenses, divorce processing, protection orders, bonds, judgments. |
The Lawrence County Justice directory groups the local courts and justice offices in one place.
Use that official directory to confirm whether a question belongs with the clerk, a court, the sheriff, the prosecutor, probation, or the public defender.
Lawrence County Courthouse Contacts
The main courthouse for Lawrence County court records is the Lawrence County Courthouse at 916 15th Street, Bedford, Indiana 47421. County business hours are posted as Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, with weekends closed. The clerk's public counter is in Room 31 at that address. Circuit Court is also at 916 15th Street, while Superior Court I and II are in the Courthouse Annex at 918 16th Street.
Lawrence County Clerk
916 15th Street, Room 31
Bedford, IN 47421
812-275-7543
8:00 AM-4:00 PM
The official courthouse facility page identifies the courthouse address, weekday hours, and building information.
The annex distinction is important because a person may file or pay with the clerk at 916 15th Street but appear for a Superior Court matter at 918 16th Street.
Lawrence County Court Record Types
Lawrence County court records include civil, criminal, family, probate, traffic, protection-order, judgment, and small-claims material. Civil files may show complaints, motions, orders, judgments, garnishments, liens, and proceedings supplemental. Criminal files may show filed charges, bonds, hearings, pleas, dispositions, sentences, probation entries, and costs. Family records may include divorce, legal separation, child support, custody, paternity, and protection-order matters, though some data is restricted.
- Civil records include collections, evictions, small claims, judgments, motions, notices, and orders.
- Criminal court records include the case file after charges are filed by the prosecutor.
- Traffic court records include citation cases, payment status, court dates, dispositions, and failure-to-appear events.
- Marriage and divorce records route through the County Clerk and the court case system where applicable.
- Probate and guardianship records are handled within Lawrence Circuit and Superior Courts, not a separate probate court.
What Lawrence County Court Records Show
A MyCase case summary can include case number, court, case type, case status, case status date, file date, active flag, case style, parties, attorneys, events, hearings, documents, charges, bonds, financial summaries, cross-references, and related cases. The exact fields depend on case type and access level. Public users see less than a party, attorney of record, or court staff member may see.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | The court's unique tracking number for the Lawrence County case. |
| Court | Whether the file is in Circuit Court, Superior Court I, Superior Court II, or another Indiana court. |
| Parties | Names and roles such as plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, respondent, or attorney when public. |
| Events and Hearings | Docket entries, scheduled hearings, orders, disposition events, sentencing events, or judgment events. |
| Charges and Bonds | Criminal or traffic charge descriptions, statutes, offense dates, bond amounts, and bond status where public. |
| Documents | Downloadable files only when the document type and user role allow online access. |
Lawrence County Public Access Rules
Indiana public access is controlled by both the Access to Public Records Act and Indiana Supreme Court court-record rules. For Lawrence County, that means a court file can be public in some respects while a document, field, exhibit, or party identifier is unavailable online or redacted. The Indiana Judicial Branch public-records guidance directs users to contact the clerk in the county where the case is being heard when a document is not online.
Key Statutes and Rules:
IC 5-14-3 makes public-agency records open unless a statute, rule, or exception restricts them.
Indiana Access to Court Records Rules control court-document access by case type, document type, and user role.
IC 35-38-9 governs criminal expungement, which can seal or restrict access without destroying the record.
The Indiana Judicial Branch public records page explains online document access and clerk contact when documents are not available online.
That state guidance is the best source for understanding why a Lawrence County docket may be searchable while a document inside the case is not visible.
Restricted Lawrence County Court Records
Restricted records include sealed cases, granted expungements, juvenile records, adoption records, many protection-order identifiers, mental-health material, and confidential information under Access to Court Records Rule 5. MyCase help notes that protection-order case names and some identifying information are excluded from online public access by federal law, and adoption records are not public in the Indiana document-access table.
Expungement is often misunderstood. Indiana court guidance says expungement under IC 35-38-9 is not the same as destroying a file. The record may be sealed or restricted, and public online access may change depending on the expungement type. A Lawrence County petitioner usually must identify the case, charges, disposition, and eligibility facts before filing in the court that handled the case.
Note: If MyCase shows no result, the reason may be confidentiality, sealing, spelling, case timing, or a non-online document.
Lawrence County Specialty Programs
Lawrence County has several court-adjacent programs tied to criminal, traffic, and rehabilitation outcomes. The prosecutor's office lists Problem Solving Court / Veterans Court, Domestic Violence Court, Pretrial Diversion, Infraction Deferral, ADVENT, the Suspended License Program, HSE/GED, and Job Skills programs. These programs matter because a case may show a referral, deferral, dismissal after completion, fee, or program condition in the court record.
Infraction Deferral is especially important for traffic cases. The official prosecutor page says some violations are not eligible, including school-zone speeding, speeding 30 mph or more over the posted limit, a recent prior infraction diversion, current CDL status, work-zone violations, and school-bus violations. The pretrial-diversion page says eligible infractions, misdemeanors, and Level 5 or 6 felonies may avoid conviction and driver-record points if completed without violation.
Lawrence County Sheriff and Jail Records
The Lawrence County Sheriff's Office is at 1420 I Street, Bedford, and Sheriff Greg Day is named on the official sheriff page. The main phone is 812-275-3316, the jail division phone is 812-277-2014, and the tipline is 812-277-2020. The Security Center page names Andrew Lynn as Captain / Jail Commander. For jail custody, Lawrence County participates in the Indiana County Jail Public Portal, which is different from MyCase.
The sheriff also promotes the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office app for Apple and Android. Official descriptions say the app includes incarcerated individuals, sex offenders, weather and emergency alerts, job postings, commissary and communication links, school safety information, anonymous tips, and other sheriff updates. The app is not for emergencies. Call 911 for emergencies.
Lawrence County Marriage Divorce Probate
Marriage licenses are issued by the Lawrence County Clerk. The clerk page says the office issues marriage licenses and processes divorces and legal separations. Divorce files are court records, so public divorce case information may appear in MyCase when not confidential or sealed, while certified decrees and copies route to the clerk or court that maintains the file.
Probate matters are handled in Lawrence Circuit and Superior Courts. Circuit Court links estate and guardianship forms, including Estate Claim Form, Small Estate Affidavit, Notice of Open Estate, Guardianship Petition, Guardianship Oath, Guardian's Inventory, biennial accounting, status reports, registry forms, and a physician's report. Indiana probate law appears in Title 29, and state small-estate materials identify the small-estate threshold as $100,000.
- Executor
- A person appointed to administer an estate under a will or court order.
- Intestate
- A death without a valid will, so state law controls who may inherit.
- Guardianship
- A court case appointing a responsible person to act for a minor or incapacitated adult.
Lawrence County Traffic Court Records
Lawrence County's traffic page gives a clear payment rule: mailed traffic payments must be money order or cashier's check payable to Lawrence County Clerk, and the county says not to send cash or personal checks. The page lists the clerk payment address at the courthouse and says to call the court at 812-275-4161 for more information. That phone matches Superior Court II, so traffic questions often involve both the clerk and Superior Court II.
| Record | Where It Lives | What It Shows |
|---|---|---|
| Court traffic record | MyCase, clerk, court | Citation, case number, hearings, disposition, fines, costs, and failure-to-appear events. |
| BMV driver record | Indiana BMV | Driving history, suspensions, citations, violations, points, and reinstatement items. |
Federal Court Records for Lawrence County
Federal cases are separate from Lawrence County court records. Lawrence County is in the Southern District of Indiana, New Albany Division, for federal district court matters. Bankruptcy is handled by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana. Those records use federal systems such as PACER and CM/ECF, not the Lawrence County Clerk. Federal warrants and federal custody also route outside county court and sheriff record systems.
Lawrence County Record Fees
The reviewed Lawrence County sources did not publish a general plain-copy or certified-copy court-record fee schedule. Use the clerk for current copy costs, certification requirements, and payment methods. The county did publish traffic-payment method rules, and the clerk service list confirms that the office processes bond payments, judgment payments, and child-support payments.
| Item | Research Status |
|---|---|
| Plain court-record copy | Fee not located in reviewed official county sources; confirm with Clerk Room 31. |
| Certified court-record copy | Fee not located in reviewed official county sources; official copies come from the clerk or court. |
| Marriage license | Fee not located in reviewed official county sources; clerk issues licenses. |
| Traffic mail payment | Money order or cashier's check only; do not send cash or personal checks. |
Lawrence County Court History
Lawrence County's original seat of justice was Palestine on the White River. County founders hoped the riverfront site might support commerce and even state-capital ambitions, but malaria reduced the population and residents petitioned to move the seat to Bedford. The county history page says the state legislature named the county for naval officer Captain James Lawrence, associated with "Don't Give Up the Ship."
The Indiana Historical Bureau marker for the Bedford Courthouse Square Historic District notes the square was part of the original 1825 plat and includes nineteenth- and early twentieth-century commercial buildings.
The courthouse-square history helps explain why modern court records, clerk service, and court hearings remain centered in downtown Bedford.
Lawrence County Court Records FAQ
Can anyone search Lawrence County court records online? Public, non-confidential Indiana cases can be searched through MyCase. Sealed, expunged, juvenile, adoption, and some protection-order information may be restricted or unavailable online.
Where do certified copies come from? Certified copies come from the court or clerk maintaining the official record. For Lawrence County trial-court files, start with the County Clerk at Room 31.
Is a jail record the same as a court record? No. The Indiana County Jail Public Portal shows county-jail custody information. MyCase shows court cases, hearings, charges, bonds, and docket events.
Does Lawrence County publish an active warrant list? The reviewed official sources did not show a dedicated public active-warrant list. Use the sheriff, jail, court, clerk, and MyCase fallback channels.
Who handles traffic tickets? Mailed payments go to the Lawrence County Clerk, and the county traffic page lists Superior Court II's phone for more information.